Incitec Pivot dedicated a new ammonia tank as part of an $850 million ammonia plant to be operated by the IPL subsidiary, Dyno Nobel, in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

The overall ammonia plant is 75 percent complete and is scheduled to begin operating in the third quarter of 2016. The facilities are located at Cornerstone Chemical Company’s Fortier Manufacturing Complex on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

In addition to the investment by Australia-based Incitec Pivot Limited, Cornerstone Chemical Company is completing $175 million in upgrades and infrastructure expansion at the site, where IPL subsidiary Dyno Nobel will produce up to 800,000 metric tons of ammonia annually. The project will create 65 new direct jobs shared between Dyno Nobel and Cornerstone Chemical Company while retaining 441 existing Cornerstone jobs.

“Our decision to invest in Louisiana was based on strong support from the Louisiana government and Jefferson Parish, who have worked closely with our company in making the project a reality in a timeframe that is to be commended,” Incitec Pivot Limited Chairman Paul Brasher said.

“In addition, the support from local contractors and businesses, and the employment of local people has been impressive and makes the project a local and regional activity. The world-class ammonia plant, when completed in the third quarter of 2016, will be a step change for our U.S.-based Dyno Nobel business, which operates across many U.S. states supporting the hard rock and coal industries, as well as the construction and seismic industries and customers who will take the product,” he added.

Dyno Nobel has partnered with Cornerstone Chemical Company on the ammonia plant project and utilized the LED FastStart program, the nation’s top-ranked state workforce training program. This program has assisted in the training of a local team of specialists who have been recruited to run the plant when it becomes operational. LED FastStart has worked with Dyno Nobel’s Louisiana plant-based employees in undertaking a comprehensive training program in preparation for the plant coming online.

To attract the ammonia plant project, LED’s Business and Expansion Retention Group, or BERG, worked closely with JEDCO, the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, and Greater New Orleans Inc., or GNO Inc. In addition to providing LED FastStart services, the state’s competitive incentive package included the Industrial Tax Exemption and Quality Jobs programs for Dyno Nobel and Cornerstone Chemical Company, and a Modernization Tax Credit of $3 million, claimed over five years, for Cornerstone.

“The completion of a key component of this international investment in Louisiana’s chemical corridor signals the strength of Louisiana’s economy and our outstanding business climate. Louisiana’s ability to produce essential petrochemical products for the world is unsurpassed. Today, Louisiana represents the new frontier for business opportunity, and we’re proud that companies like Incitec Pivot Limited, Dyno Nobel and Cornerstone Chemical are laying the foundation for global production needs here in Louisiana. By retaining and creating many valuable jobs for families in our state, projects like these are supporting our work to make Louisiana the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family”, said Governor Bobby Jindal.